


First Glance

by danceswithhamsters01



Series: The Sound of Magic [6]
Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 12:29:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15908289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danceswithhamsters01/pseuds/danceswithhamsters01
Summary: A young Sevarra Amell is ready to begin advanced study in the Circle of Magi. Being a prodigy, she's younger than most apprentices when meeting her new mentor for the first time.





	First Glance

Alara sighed raggedly as she left her quarters after preparing herself for the day. She tromped her way to the infirmary. She’d been an Enchanter for more than two decades. Teaching wasn’t something new to her. It’d been several years since her last apprentice had passed his Harrowing and been transferred to Ostwick. She hadn’t quite gotten used to the quiet but had made peace with it.

 

Until late the previous night.

 

The First Enchanter had informed – informed, NOT requested!-- her that she would be receiving a new apprentice. Normally choosing a student was up to the mentor in question. Normally. It was within the First Enchanter’s rights to assign students if he or she felt the need to do so. Irving had been quite firm that the healer had no choice, the matter had been settled before she’d been consulted.

 

She had balked when Irving had revealed who the child was. The Amell girl was known for skittishness, around older adult women in particular. Word had also reached her about what had taken place in Whitebark’s lab. Gossip had swift feet in the tower. What had she done to deserve being chained down with a problematic student?

 

Opening the Infirmary’s door revealed her Tranquil helper, Lonna, dutifully sweeping the floor while a small dark-haired girl kicked her feet back and forth in the air as she sat on the bench on the opposite side of the room. The girl looked up and regarded her with owlish silver eyes. She was… small, even for 10 years old.

 

 _Maker, why did he give me a 10-year-old?_ Most students found ready to begin advanced study were around 14 years old. Irving had insisted the girl was ready for advanced learning, in spite of her issues.

 

“ _I expect you to do your utmost, Enchanter. It’s not every day one is given the chance to mentor a prodigy. She can already cast multiple spells from each of the schools of magic with ease,”_ he had wheedled.

 

“Right. I suppose the First Enchanter told you to be here,” the Enchanter said flatly.

 

The youngster nodded silently.

 

“Come along, then. We need to see what you can do,” she said in a resigned voice.

 

“First Enchanter says I’m not allowed to do fire spells until he says otherwise,” the apprentice said quietly after scooting off the bench to follow the woman.

 

Right. Pyrophobia. Whitebark had foolishly ignored the child’s discomfort and browbeat her into calling a flame larger than she could safely handle, with calamitous results to his lab and equipment.

 

“We have flint and tinder for that here,” Alara said dryly.

 

“Are those spell components?” the girl asked.

 

The healer chuckled. A look at the apprentice’s face let her know the child had been serious. “Er, no. Just the mundane way to start up a small flame.”

 

 _She already knew about components? Just what had Tabris been getting up to with this one?_ She pushed open the door leading to an empty storeroom. She selected this room just in case they were in danger of another “incident” taking place. The elder motioned for the student to go in.

 

She ran the girl through several paces of spellwork. Irving hadn’t lied, she managed several spells from each of the four main branches of magic. The girl’s demonstration of spirit magic had consisted of dispelling the healer’s Arcane Shield. That had both taken aback and amused the Enchanter. Entropy spells had been the weakest of the girl’s spellwork. Not unusual, everyone had something they weren’t the best at.

 

Alara pursed her lips. _Definitely beyond what the average fifth-year apprentice would be capable of._

 

“Girl, have you ever cast a healing spell?”

 

The apprentice shook her head, making her black braid swish to and fro. “Nuh-uh. They wouldn’t let me read the books with that spell in them.”

 

“I’ll do one better. Watch closely.”

 

Eager owlish eyes followed every movement of her hands, entranced. Small hands mimicked the motions after seeing them in their entirety. Another demonstration, the elder making certain her chant was clear and intelligible, was just as raptly observed. There was an eager gleam in the youngster’s eyes.

 

“Now you try.”

 

The casting was slow but successful. A pale green light washed over the elder as the spell had its intended effect. A smile quickly burst on to the girl’s face as she bounced on her feet in celebration. Enthusiasm, that she could work with.

 

“Good enough.” She motioned the apprentice to follow as she went to the Infirmary’s small alcove that served as a sort of library. Pulling out an older edition of _Reginald’s Review of Restoration and Regeneration_ , she handed it to the girl.

 

“We shall start with the basics. I expect the first two chapters read by tomorrow morning. You may… what was your name?”

 

“Sevarra, ma’am,” came the reply.

 

“Right. Sevarra. You may run along now. Go study. Stay out of trouble.”

 

The girl nodded and scurried away, no doubt to some favorite hiding spot to read. The Enchanter pursed her lips and then went to retrieve her dust-covered book of lesson plans. She had to do some studying of her own.


End file.
